The Institute of International and Security Studies of the University of Wrocław is an independent unit conducting research and teaching in broadly understood international relations. The basic research areas focus on security, international relations, issues of European integration, German studies, Eastern Europe and Asia, Global Studies, international economic and financial relations, international communication, geopolitics, security studies, and foreign policy of Poland. Such a multidisciplinary profile of the Institute naturally implies special scientific and didactic activity in creating contacts with foreign academic centres.
The actions taken in cross-border cooperation are characterized by a strong geographical diversification, which, in practical terms, means establishing, maintaining, and developing contacts with various universities operating in different countries. Foreign cooperation is carried out on several levels at the Institute of International and Security Studies. Above all, the activities undertaken on the basis of several bilateral IISS partnership agreements with individual foreign units are important. Valuable bilateral contacts were also established with important research centres in Central Europe. In addition, IISS is developing the sphere of foreign cooperation based on university-wide research and teaching programs. The Institute actively and systematically implements numerous partnership agreements concluded by the International Cooperation Office of the University of Wrocław. As a result, the sphere of foreign contacts includes cooperation with many other non-European universities, incl. from the United States, China, India and Kazakhstan.
The Institute of International and Security Studies also actively participates in international research programs and projects. The commitment to the VI and VII EU Framework Programs and Horizon 2020 is worth highlighting. In this way, IISS cooperates with universities from almost all EU countries. In addition, IISS employees carry out numerous research projects financed from external funds, contributing creatively to the entirety of activities undertaken by the University of Wrocław in the international sphere. Foreign cooperation also results in several joint initiatives with the participation of external partners. The Institute of International and Security Studies regularly organizes international scientific conferences, seminars and workshops and prepares and participates in foreign publications.
Such extensive foreign contacts allow for often unique scientific research and constructing an extremely attractive didactic offer for the Institute of International and Security Studies students. The unit currently has about 50 officially signed cooperation agreements under the ERASMUS + program with many universities from the European Union countries. Moreover, IISS participates in the European Master Global Studies (EMGS) Program, enabling the potential exchange of researchers and students of the Institute with attractive and prestigious universities from other regions of the world. The program started in 2005 and is co-financed by the European Commission as a European full-time 2-year supplementary Master’s studies, implemented by the Institute of International and Security Studies of the University of Wrocław in cooperation with Universitaet Leipzig, Universitaet Wien, Roskilde University and the University of Ghent.
In addition, the Consortium cooperates with partner universities from outside the European Union, such as Canada (Dalhousie), USA (Santa Barbara, University of California), South Africa (Stellenbosch), Australia (Macquarie, Sydney), China (Fudan Shanghai), India (Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa University), Cameroon (University of Yaoundé) and New Zealand (University of Otago). It is aimed at people interested in deepening their knowledge about social, cultural and historical determinants of the globalization process. The program also serves as a forum for interdisciplinary debate on global issues from a European perspective.
The significant development of the international cooperation of the Institute of International and Security Studies creates many valuable opportunities for both students and academic staff. Visits by representatives of foreign universities and institutions provide a unique opportunity for direct contact with recognized authorities in specific areas related to international relations. Moreover, they enable the deepening of knowledge and its confrontation with real tasks performed by practitioners who regularly visit the Institute of International and Security Studies. On the other hand, a mutual student exchange creates the possibility of establishing valuable and often long-lasting contacts with foreign academic circles, a better understanding of various cultures and a broader view of the complexity of the changes taking place today. The aforementioned official agreements give students the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in other countries, which is extremely valuable in today’s world. Each year abounds in studies and foreign scholarships that are eagerly used by many students of both full-time and part-time studies at the Institute of International and Security Studies.
The Institute of International Studies also runs Bachelor’s and Master’s studies in English for foreign students. The extensive offer of subjects in this mode strongly correlates with the research conducted at the entire Institute, enabling students from other countries to learn about extremely interesting areas of knowledge from the perspective of Central Europe. At the same time, it is an important impulse for several other activities undertaken jointly by domestic and foreign students.
